SANDUSKY, Ohio — EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to breaking news, we are unable to attend this media event.
As Cedar Point prepares to debut their new Top Thrill 2 roller coaster to the general public when the park opens for the 2024 season on Saturday, May 4, the park is holding their media day Thursday.
Due to breaking news, however, 3News was unable to attend the event.
Top Thrill 2, which is the tallest and fastest coaster at Cedar Point, is an overhaul of the original Top Thrill Dragster. The enhanced attraction features three high-speed launches between two 420-foot tall towers.
TOP THRILL 2 RIDE STATS
- Top height: 420 feet
- Top speed: 120 mph
- Ride duration: Two minutes
- First launch (going forward): 74 mph
- Second launch (going backward): 101 mph
- Third launch (going forward): 120 mph
RIDER GUIDELINES
Want to ride? Here are some guidelines and policies listed for Top Thrill 2:
Height requirement to ride
All guests must be at least 52" tall to ride Top Thrill 2.
Loose articles
Cedar Point says loose articles -- including cell phones -- are not permitted past the Top Thrill 2 entrance.
"They may either be left with a non-rider or be placed in lockers for storage."
That brings us to...
Footwear
Loose-fitting shoes without a strap or back are not permitted past the ride entrance. So if you're wearing flip-flops or slides, you will not be able to enter the ride's line.
Unlike other attractions where you can take off your flip-flops and ride barefoot like Raptor or Valravn, there are no ride bins in the station to store any loose articles or shoes -- and you can't leave your shoes at the line entrance either.
RELATED: Yes, Cedar Point is restricting guests from riding Top Thrill 2 based on their footwear: VERIFY
Glasses
You may only wear glasses on Top Thrill 2 "if they are secured with an athletic strap. Glasses may not be held in the hands of riders while riding."
Metal detectors
Similar to Steel Vengeance, all Top Thrill 2 riders will pass through metal detectors prior to entering the line.
TOP THRILL 2 EXPLAINED: NEW RIDE EXPERIENCE
So what makes Top Thrill 2 different? Here’s how Cedar Point describes it...
Riders will immerse themselves as they join the CP Racing Team and climb into one of three, sleek high-performance racing vehicles. Each of Top Thrill 2’s trains will feature open-air seating, providing heart-pounding views on the world’s first and only dual-tower vertical speedway.
On the start, using an all-new linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system, riders will peel out down the straightaway reaching speeds of 74 mph, racing toward the sky on Top Thrill 2’s original 420-foot-tall “top hat” tower. After experiencing weightlessness during the “rollback” – the coveted fan-favorite moment when the train’s momentum isn’t great enough to make it up and over the tower – the train shifts into reverse and into its second launch, reaching speeds of 101 mph.
Riders will then see Cedar Point unlike ever before as they speed into a backward climb at a 90-degree angle on a new, 420-foot-tall track tower. After a second moment of weightlessness, the train shifts into drive and races forward into its third launch, clocking in at the ride’s top speed of 120 mph.
Crossing over the top hat tower, the train decelerates momentarily before diving into a 270-degree spiral and crossing the finish line.
BRINGING TOP THRILL 2 TO LIFE
Cedar Point has partnered with Zamperla Rides and its Roller Coaster Business Unit to create the Top Thrill 2 ride experience.
"Top Thrill 2 is one of the first roller coasters in the world to utilize Zamperla’s 'Lightning' trains, capable of high-speed aerodynamics, performance and rider comfort," Cedar Point explains. "The ride’s new high-tech LSM launch system delivers smooth and quiet acceleration while giving riders the chance to feel the rush of motorsport racing."
THE END OF THE ORIGINAL TOP THRILL DRAGSTER
The original Top Thrill Dragster has been closed since August 2021 after an incident in which a bracket came off the ride and struck a 44-year-old woman in the back of the head. A lawsuit in the case has since been settled.
A 620-page report released in February 2022 by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which oversees the state’s amusement parks, declared there was “insufficient evidence to find the action or inactions of Cedar Point violated any of the laws.” You can review that report HERE.
“Cedar Point has cooperated fully with ODA throughout its investigation into the incident and we will closely review the substance of ODA’s report," park officials said in a statement after the ODA report was released.
When it first opened in 2003, Top Thrill Dragster became the first roller coaster in the world to top 400 feet. Here's how the attraction was initially described:
Put the pedal to the metal because no speeding tickets are cited to Top Thrill Dragster. Three point eight….that’s 3.8… seconds. That is all it takes to go from a complete standstill to 120 miles per hour. You’ve never experienced speed like this. Even with a true drag strip “Christmas tree” light counting down the launch, you’ll never be ready for the pure adrenaline rush packed into a 17 second race. Riders are launched in the blink of an eye before sprinting straight up at a 90-degree incline. If you dare to open your eyes at the top you will see spectacular views only viewed by the bravest 420 feet in the air. But look quick, before you know it, you’re hurtling back to the ground in a 270- degree twist before crossing the finish line. We aren’t kidding when we say that this high-octane sprint to the checkered flag knows a thing or twenty about horsepower.
Here's POV footage of the former Top Thrill Dragster: